We’re thrilled to continue our new series: Flame Tree Romantic Fantasy – a captivating blend of our signature Gothic Fantasy collections with the passion and magic of Romantasy. Our open call for submissions is now live for the next two enchanting titles: Of Love Forbidden and Of Fae & Fire. Please read through the submission details carefully before sending us your stories – especially relating to AI – or it could result in your submission not being acknowledged if you do not follow them.

Flame Tree, an independent publisher of over thirty years, is renowned for gorgeous hardcover books and exceptional foiled notebooks, often created with new artists and authors. These Romantic Fantasy titles are proud new companions to our existing collections.

Of Love Forbidden and Of Fae & Fire

We’re seeking short stories for two new books in our romantic fantasy series, a paid market for new and established writers. We're looking for tales where love is as powerful as any spell, prophecy or blade. Whether your tale is sweeping and adventurous, dark and atmospheric, or intimate and character-driven, we want your stories. 

We’re looking for richly imagined worlds filled with magic, myth and mystery, where emotional stakes are just as high as the fantastical ones. From hidden fae courts and ancient forests to cursed kingdoms, dragons, enchanted relics and forbidden magic, we’re searching for high fantasy tales where romance is integral to the story, whether that's as passion, longing, betrayal, sacrifice, enemies-to-lovers, fated connections or impossible choices.

Read on for more tips on the specific titles…

Of Love Forbidden

Supernatural lore forges together lands, courts and families. It is in place to tighten generations and is knitted together by legend and tradition. If mistreated, it threatens to unravel entire realms. Forbidden love is the trickiest of all, and these compelling stories will explore the heart’s desires set against the backdrop of complicated politics and societal expectations. Where alliances are everything, these flawed romances play out before fae, mortals and beasts. When the head and heart battle one another, one must seal their fate: either keeping peace and harmony or severing deep bonds that could threaten to tear apart worlds… all in the name of love.

Submit to: romanticfantasy@flametreepublishing.com

Please specify in the body of the email which anthology theme (Of Love Forbidden or Of Fae & Fire) your story is for.

Please DO NOT SUBMIT AI-written stories to our team – this takes away opportunities from genuine new writers.

Terms:

• Multiple submissions are fine but must be in separate emails.
• Simultaneous submissions are fine but you must have the right to license your story in an anthology.
• Stories that used AI for planning, editing, modifying or generating text will not be accepted. Please confirm in your submission email that you have not used AI in these ways. The contracts for accepted authors all require signature declaring AI has not been used.
• For accepted stories we pay Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) rates of 8 cents/6 pence per word for original stories, 6 cents/4 pence for reprints.
• We will aim to read each story and confirm its status within 4 months of the submission deadline.
• Payment for the chosen stories will be made within 30 days of the final advertised publication date (see our website flametreepublishing.com for details), although some may be paid earlier than that.
• Submission does not imply the right to publication. Each story will be read and assessed by the selection panel.
• Let us know in your submission email whether your story would be a reprint or is currently unpublished.
• Exclusivity Period for accepted new stories is 6 months from publication. Publication is expected to be in July 2027.

Important Notice about Submissions and Guidelines

We're always looking for better ways of working so we've tweaked our submission process to allow us to read more stories and spend more time assessing the balance of our books.

• Submissions must use the dedicated email address.
• The subject line of the email must be the story title.
• Include which anthology you’re submitting to in the body of the email.
• The file with the story must be attached to the email (.docx, .doc or .rtf format).
• The name of the file must match the name in the subject line.
• If submitting more than one story, please submit one story per email.
• Please provide your legal name (and pen name if applicable) to help with quick contracts/acceptances.
• An author bio or a short note to introduce yourself is welcome – please include in the body of your email not as an attachment.
• If providing an author bio and/or pitch/synopsis for your story, we strongly advise against using AI to write these as it will cast suspicion on the authenticity of your story.

Other useful tips for a more successful submission:

• The file name of the submission must be the story name only.
• Please just use spaces between words in the title (not _ or - ).
• If the story name starts with A or The, please use it at the beginning of the file name.
• Story length is most likely to be successful at 2000 to 4000 words, but we will still read stories slightly outside this range.
• If submitting a story that has recently been submitted to us for consideration to another anthology, please state this in the submission email.
• Deadline: 13th September 2026.

Thank you, and good luck!